commanding Tactical Satellite Feed

[Leopard20 813]

Tactical Satellite Feed

 

By

 

Leopard20

 

Warning! This mod is outdated and has lots of issues!
Please wait for the update.

Trailer:

Spoiler

 

 

 

Screenshots:

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

Brief Description:

Tactical Satellite Feed is an all-new mod for ARMA 3 that brings a "Door Kickers" style of gameplay to your single-player missions.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Long Description:

Hello everyone!

 

If you're a single player fan like myself, you've definitely noticed how incomplete and unreliable the AI movement is. They may not follow the exact path you want, or even worse, not move at all! Just put a couple of units on top of carrier or ship in the Editor, you'll see what I mean! 🙂

 

This mod, Tactical Satellite Feed, is designed to work around this exact problem. But that's not all there is to it! When I saw the potential for new features, I decided to make this mod look more complete, to the point that it's now a multi-purpose mod!

 

This mod is inspired by such games as Door Kickers, Tom Clancy's game series, and of course the mod C2 Command & Control by our very own Mad_Cheese!

 

Without further ado, let's jump straight to the mod features! I recommend that you watch the trailer first to get an idea of how the mod works and familiarize yourself with its mechanics.

 

Features:
- Top-down view of the battlefield.
- Easy to use; simply draw paths using mouse
- Set up anywhere and anytime with just a few clicks
- Automatic path correction; minimizing micro-management
- Move units on any surface and terrain, including ships/carriers.
- Complete AI movement override; get them to do whatever you want!
- Various functions, including:
 . Watch direction
 . Change stance
 . Engage targets
 . Mount vehicles
 . Go-codes
 . Sync movement
 . Supports Enhanced Movement by Bad Benson
 . Path recording; player records path for AI to follow
 . Fog of War simulation; unknown enemies become hidden

 

Usage Instructions (MUST READ):

The manual is already included with your download.
 

Spoiler

 

Interface:

Controls:

Open camera: L

Free Movement/Locked mode toggle: R

Quick Draw/Planning mode toggle: Z

Show Go Codes: Tab
Show Interface Settings: T
 

(During Locked Mode) Change player (and cam) direction: "Q" and "E"

(During Free Movement Mode) Move Camera: move mouse to corners

(During Free Movement Mode) Change Camera Direction: Hold Alt + move mouse to corners

(During Free Movement Mode) Stop Camera Movement: Hold Ctrl

Change camera zoom (height): Mouse Wheel
Change camera zoom (vanilla zoom): Check your Zoom keybinding in Controls (Default: "Numpad +" and "Numpad -" and "Mouse button 4 and 5" on 6-button mice)

 

Draw path: "Hold Left Click" on dots or units

Draw watch direction: "Hold Right Click" on dots

Change stance: "Hold Ctrl + Mouse Wheel" on dots

(During path draw) Sprint: Hold Shift

Open Radial (Action) Menu: Hold Ctrl + Right Click

Sync Dots: "Hold Ctrl + Left Click" over dots

Multi-selection: "Hold Ctrl + Left Click" on empty space

(During Multi-selection) Change Spacing: Hold Ctrl

(During Multi-selection) Change Direction: Hold Alt

Commit Move: Space

 

Free Movement/Locked Mode:

Free Movement Mode allows you to move the camera freely within a pre-set limit. Check your CBA Settings (GAME > ADDON OPTIONS >  Tactical Satellite Feed) to change its setting.

Locked Mode allows you track a unit. It's not recommended on AI units as it shakes a lot!

To toggle modes, simply press the Free Movement/Locked Mode key or use the interface button (the "lock" button).

 

Quick Draw/Planning Mode:

By default, the camera launches in Quick Draw Mode. When in this mode, the unit for whom you've drawn the path starts moving as soon as you release the Left Click button.

Planning Mode allows you to draw paths for multiple units, and fully plan your move, and none of the units start moving as long as the "MOVE" button is not selected from the interface or the "Space" key is not pressed.

To toggle modes, simply press the Quick Draw/Planning Mode key or use the interface button (the "map-like" button at the lower right corner).

 

Changing the Keybindings:

Unlike my previous mod, All-in-One Command Menu, there is no CBA Keybinding and you'll have to use CBA Settings to change the keybindings.
To do so, first check the included Keybinding Template file which is in the mod folder. Then fill it out with your desired settings, copy and then paste it in the Edit Box.

This is what the template looks like:

// [Keycode, Shift, Ctrl, Alt]

[38, false, false, false]

Which means the keybinding is set to "L" key (keycode 38) and holding none of Shift, Ctrl or Alt keys. If you don't want to use Shift, Ctrl or Alt in your keybinding, you can simply type the keycode (e.g 38) in the Edit Box.

A complete keycode list is available here:

https://resources.bisimulations.com/wiki/DIK_KeyCodes

 

Drawing/Trimming Paths:

You can start drawing paths for units by holding Left Click on them and then simply drawing the mouse. If you would like to continue a unit's path or "trim" his path, click on the dot where you want to continue from/trim at.

Note that if Quick Draw Mode is active, the unit starts moving as soon as LClick is released.

 

Drawing Watch-directions:

Hold Right Click on a dot to add a watch direction. Release the button when done to finalize. The length of the watch direction doesn't matter (it's a watch direction, not watch position)

 

Changing unit stance:

While holding down Ctrl, move the mouse wheel up or down when the cursor is on a dot to change the unit stance.

 

Correcting paths:

There's nothing you need to do! As soon as the unit starts moving, his path will be corrected automatically. It's recommended to enable "Auto use Enhanced Movement for correction" from CBA Settings for better path correction.

 

Syncing:

To synchronize two units movement, hold down Ctrl and Left Click on a dot, then start to draw a line from one unit's dot to that of another unit.

Sync lines have a Cyan color.

 

Adding actions:

To add an action, first open the Radial (action) Menu by holding Ctrl and Right Clicking on a dot. Then select the action. Actions have a Purple color.

To close the Radial Menu, Right Click on an empty position.

Three types of actions also require you to select a target/position:

1. Mount: When you select this action, a purple line emanates from the selected dot. You need to click on the vehicle's icon (not the vehicle itself!) to finalize the action. If it was a success, the purple line will stick to the vehicle.

2. Attack: Same as above, a purple line emanates from the selected dot. Once you select your target, the purple line will stick to it.

3. Throw grenade: Again, a purple line is drawn. But you can click anywhere you want to finalize the action.

 

For all above cases, Right Click on an empty position to cancel the action.

 

Selecting multiple units:

To select multiple units, hold down Ctrl and then hold Left Click on empty space, then start drawing a rectangle. After releasing Left Click, all units inside the rectangle will be selected. If you would like to change the unit spacing, hold Ctrl. If you want to change their alignment, hold Alt.

Afterwards, simply press and hold Left Click on any position you want and start drawing the path (you can release Ctrl and/or Alt during path draw). Additionally, you can hold Shift for units to sprint.

Note: To avoid the "ghosting" bug (see the "Known Issues" section), it is recommended that you put the units' startup point close to  their current position.

 

 

Ordering units to hold fire:

Since this mod overrides the default AI behavior, they DO NOT FOLLOW the R.O.E you assign to them using the vanilla menus. When they are moving via this mod, there is ONLY two ways to get them to hold their fire:

1. Set their Combat Mode to "Stealth".

2. Through the Radial Menu and selecting the R.O.E action (the rifle icon).

 

I think R.O.E's assigned using user-made addons (AIO Command Menu, C2, etc.) work though.

 

Deleting Paths:

If you want to delete paths for all units, use the interface "trash can" button. If you want to delete path for a single unit, simply click on the unit (this is the same as the "trimming" function)

 

Recording Paths:

To record a path for your units, first click on the Record button. Then pick your units by clicking on the unit buttons. Afterwards, close the camera and the recording starts.

Once you're done, reopen the camera to stop recording.

 

Notes:

1. When you're recording paths, units for whom you're currently recording are highlighted (selected) in your HUD. If you want to stop recording for a particular unit, simply deselect him (same as vanilla AI selection - default: F1-F10 keys). This can be useful in situations where you want to fork paths for units (e.g two units on top floor, three on the first floor, etc).

2. Make sure you don't leave any holes in your recorded path (e.g stop recording for a unit -by deselecting him - and continuing 10 meters away). This will cause them not to follow your path accurately, and may also cause the "ghosting" bug (see the Known Issues section).
 

"Refresh Squad" Button:

This button will remove all dead units from your squad and will rearrange units to fill the gap caused by this dead unit.

It will also pre-assign Team Colors to your units (recommended for avoiding confusion when drawing paths).

 

 

Notes:

Spoiler

1. All moves performed by the AI through this mod are completely managed by scripts and thus are fake! So they may act weird sometimes!

2. Preferably do not use the mod when your FPS is under 25 (if it's consistent; transient FPS-drops are fine).

3. Despite the mod having a path correction function, it is a good practice not to rely too much on it and try to avoid objects yourself. You must always avoid complex objects (those with lots of sharp corners and surfaces such as enter-able buildings, rocks, barriers, etc)

4. This mod is not and probably will never be MP compatible due to its "cheating" nature and its "dangerous" functions!

5. Make sure you check the CBA settings to customize the mod to your liking.

6. There is an option called "Connecting Lines Style" in CBA Settings which has two options: 3D Lines and 3D Icons (the part of the trailer about "Multi-selection" uses 3D Lines, elsewhere they are 3D Icons) 3D Lines have a better look but have a bigger performance impact, so use them if you have a powerful PC, otherwise use 3D Icons.

Note that all Watch Directions, Sync Lines and Action Lines are 3D Lines. Do not draw too many of them!

7. The night vision is not real and it's actually a post-processing effect, which is why it might not work very well sometimes! Make sure post-processing effects are enabled in your video settings before using it.

 

Known Issues:

Spoiler

 

1. The path cannot be corrected very well if it's drawn though an enter-able building (it will cycle though all rooms inside the building). This will be corrected in upcoming versions.
2. The AI turn into ghosts when they are moving using this mod (what I refer to as "ghosting" bug). Which is one reason why I need to "correct" their path. Still, the path correction function is not perfect and the AI may pass through objects sometimes (they almost always pass though fences and objects with holes)! Please try not to freak out in such situations!!!

3. The AI may sometimes get confused and go a completely wrong way! In these situations please use the STOP button and then use the MOVE button to correct this issue.

4. If your unit names are not in Latin (e.g. Cyrillic names, etc.), their names do not display correctly on interface buttons. There is nothing I can do about this one.

 

 

(Likely) FAQs:

Spoiler

 

Q1: The camera moves every time I want to select a menu button!

A1: Hold down Ctrl before selecting the interface items when you're in Free movement mode!

 

Q2: Hold on for a sec, isn't this an AR-2 Darter you're trying to pass off as a satellite?!

A2: Yep! It is. The name of the mod actually comes from my initial idea of creating a camera [still not a satellite! 😉 ] , but I was forced to choose a "living" vehicle that has a HUD (see Q2). UAVs, which incidentally also have a camera, fit the bill just right.

 

Q3: [For Nerds!] So what's the reason behind changing from a camera to a UAV?

A3: This mod uses DrawIcon3D, which is only visible from vehicles that have a HUD. A "camera" doesn't have one, hence I had to choose something else. Which is why I went for UAVs instead.

 

 

Warning!!! This is a preview release! Expect lots of bugs! Use the mod at your own risk!

 

 

 

Download:

GitHub (always up-to-date)

Armaholic (updates with delay)

 

 

 

Source code:

https://github.com/leopard20/Tactical-Satellite-Feed

 

 

 

 

Installation:

Spoiler

 

Simply copy the contents of the archive to your ARMA 3 installation folder.

Read this Armaholic guide on how to install mods:

http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=29755

 

 

 

 

Credits and Thanks:

@mad_cheese and @bad benson for the Enhanced Movement functions!

 

 

 

Requirements:

Community Base Addons (CBA)

[froggyluv 2135]

Man this looks pretty impressive I love AI squad control with good lookin GUI's (no H). One issue I noticed was that I AI would easily just march thru walls when clicked to go behind one like its not even there.

[Leopard20 813]

2 hours ago, froggyluv said:

Man this looks pretty impressive I love AI squad control with good lookin GUI's (no H). One issue I noticed was that I AI would easily just march thru walls when clicked to go behind one like its not even there.

Thanks!

 

This is a problem with I've been dealing with since day one! Unfortunately I can't fix this completely. It's caused by using "disableAI "MOVE"" which I have to use otherwise I can't move them at all because they resist it! (they also get stuck on top of carriers, etc)

This is partly why I've added the path correction function. One of the cheating behaviors of the mod I was talking about was exactly this one!

BTW, I just added the "Known Issues" section. Please review them for more detail.

[bad benson 1733]

this looks very cool. i was wondering what you were working on. this makes me very happy to see my work used like this. the pathing stuff over different types of objects is very impressive.

 

keep it up!

 

i'll try this out tomorrow and give some feedback.

[Guest]

An Armaholic mirror is now available:

 

Tactical Satellite Feed v1.0

[sammael 366]

WOW!!!

[omri2050 197]

Amazing!!!! Thanks a lot!

Just 3 questions ..

1. Can i cancel Fog of War simulation?

2. Does it mark enemies on map when it sees them (Data link kind of..)?

3. Does it have laser marker?

 

Again, thanks for the hard work

[Leopard20 813]

On 8/16/2018 at 2:46 PM, omri2050 said:

Amazing!!!! Thanks a lot!

Just 3 questions ..

1. Can i cancel Fog of War simulation?

2. Does it mark enemies on map when it sees them (Data link kind of..)?

3. Does it have laser marker?

 

Again, thanks for the hard work

Thank you!

 

1. Yes! Go to CBA Settings and uncheck the last option. Make sure you check "Mission Overwrite" so that it's applied instantly without any need for restart.

2. They are revealed to your group so I think other groups can see them too yes. But the UAV itself cannot see them ever (it's on the civilian side, with disabled autotarget and target)

3. No! It's not supposed to be a UAV after all! ;)

[omri2050 197]

4 minutes ago, Leopard20 said:

Thank you!

 

1. Yes! Go to CBA Settings and uncheck the last option. Make sure you check "Mission Overwrite" so that it's applied instantly without any need for restart.

2. They are revealed to your group so I think other groups can see them too yes. But the UAV itself cannot see them ever (it's on the civilian side)

3. No! It's not supposed to be a UAV after all! ;)

Great! Thanks again

[sammael 366]

for strange reason I`dont have AI dots and squares ...latest arma +latest CBA only...

I have only blue and yellow lines...

Spoiler

 

 

[Leopard20 813]

16 minutes ago, sammael said:

for strange reason I`dont have AI dots and squares ...latest arma +latest CBA only...

I have only blue and yellow lines...

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

That's really strange...

 

Do you have a player in there or just using Splendid Camera?

 

If you're in Editor, can you please type in this command inside the Debug Console (hit Exec after) when your camera is on player (i.e. close the UAV)?

showHUD [true, true, false, true, true, true, true, true, true];

Then reopen the cam.

 

If it's still not solved, can you please tell me what interface size and resolution you're using (in video settings)?

[sammael 366]

15 minutes ago, Leopard20 said:

 

showHUD [true, true, false, true, true, true, true, true, true];

Then reopen the cam.

 

No efect. I play on old notebook  1280x720  (16:9) Hud size normal ..Thats only way I can achive 60 fps in game

In 5 min I will test on my LG monitor and then report ( 1920x1080)...

[Leopard20 813]

4 minutes ago, sammael said:

No efect. I play on old notebook  1280x720  (16:9) Hud size normal ..Thats only way I can achive 60 fps in game 

Can you wait for a few minutes please? I'll write you a script to test for me if that's ok. I'll send it in PM.

[sammael 366]

7 minutes ago, Leopard20 said:

Can you wait for a few minutes please? I'll write you a script to test for me if that's ok. I'll send it in PM.

ok.I just tested on plasm LG tv ( 1920x1080) HUD normal...same efect.

of course . I'm glad if my test will  helps to this amazing mod 

[Leopard20 813]

New version available on GitHub:

https://github.com/leopard20/Tactical-Satellite-Feed/releases/latest

 

Changelog:

Fixes:

- Fixed icons not appearing for people who use custom HUDs. Thanks to @sammael for his feedback and tests!

- Fixed a minor error in multi-selection when selection was empty.

 

 

BTW, the readme is updated as well. To save you some time, here's what's added:

 

Selecting multiple units:

To select multiple units, hold down Ctrl and then hold Left Click on empty space, then start drawing a rectangle. After releasing Left Click, all units inside the rectangle will be selected. If you would like to change the unit spacing, hold Ctrl. If you want to change their alignment, hold Alt.

Afterwards, simply press and hold Left Click on any position you want and start drawing the path (you can release Ctrl and/or Alt during path draw). Additionally, you can hold Shift for units to sprint.

Note: To avoid the "ghosting" bug (see the "Known Issues" section), it is recommended that you put the units' startup point close to  their current position.

 

 

Ordering units to hold fire:

Since this mod overrides the default AI behavior, they DO NOT FOLLOW the R.O.E you assign to them using the vanilla menus. When they are moving via this mod, there is ONLY two ways to get them to hold their fire:

1. Set their Combat Mode to "Stealth".

2. Through the Radial Menu and selecting the R.O.E action (the rifle icon).

 

I think R.O.E's assigned using user-made addons (AIO Command Menu, C2, etc.) work though.

 

Known issues:

If your unit names are not in Latin (e.g. Cyrillic names, etc.), their names do not display correctly on interface buttons. There is nothing I can do about this one.

 

FAQs:

Q1: The camera moves every time I want to select a menu button!

A1: Hold down Ctrl before selecting menu items when you're in Free movement mode!

 

[Guest]

The Armaholic mirror has been updated with the new version:

 

Tactical Satellite Feed v1.1

[john111 76]

Some smallish requests: Could I get :  Smoke area,make runway with strobe in this area/direction set explosives  and use some marker to place on top of a target and decide CAS plane altitude and direction .

If I can make him set a small plane in-destroyable and make it land in a set direction,this would  be very usable. 

Mod support for Silent Take Down and some way to record 5-10sec clip and upload to Youtube to make a clip for movie.

To make a ai lase would be useful.To tag a target for a sniper and make all retreat and drop a smoke or strobe at own position will be useful and use a camotent and make that tent sink into the ground,making him barely visable .

Make them use Flares would be useful.A function that lets ai load passed out ai into vehicles would be something new in game.

What if he can put down a bunch of mines ,trip-flares or simply put down smokes on some sort of delayed cock-off that can be set off with a timer that can be shut down if wanted. If we could follow ai-with a camera that track-and-follow at ground level,would be more useful.

If he can also make a ViV-- load in vehicle ,that would be just great. 

If we can make several "pages" of plans at one time ,for certain actions,like scaling buildings or fortify places ,would be great.

  These are just some quick ideas for you.Great mod ,looking forward to this.

 

[Leopard20 813]

10 minutes ago, john1 said:

Some smallish requests: Could I get :  Smoke area,make runway with strobe in this area/direction set explosives  and use some marker to place on top of a target and decide CAS plane altitude and direction .

If I can make him set a small plane in-destroyable and make it land in a set direction,this would  be very usable. 

Mod support for Silent Take Down and some way to record 5-10sec clip and upload to Youtube to make a clip for movie.

To make a ai lase would be useful.To tag a target for a sniper and make all retreat and drop a smoke or strobe at own position will be useful and use a camotent and make that tent sink into the ground,making him barely visable .

Make them use Flares would be useful.A function that lets ai load passed out ai into vehicles would be something new in game.

What if he can put down a bunch of mines ,trip-flares or simply put down smokes on some sort of delayed cock-off that can be set off with a timer that can be shut down if wanted. If we could follow ai-with a camera that track-and-follow at ground level,would be more useful.

If he can also make a ViV-- load in vehicle ,that would be just great.  These are just some quick ideas for you.Great mod ,looking forward to this.

Thanks.

Smoke, mines and explosives are no problem! I was actually thinking about adding those as well. 

The rest seem a bit too complicated to add. 

 

Note that at the moment I'm focusing on fixing bugs and improving the overall mechanics of the mod. So these features will be added after said improvements are done.

[sixt 26]

Looks cool does it work in an dedicated server enviroment?

[Leopard20 813]

59 minutes ago, sixt said:

Looks cool does it work in an dedicated server enviroment?

I don't think so. It's not intended for MP use anyway.

[GEORGE FLOROS GR 4207]

Very interesting Leopard20!

 

Thanks for this !

[froggyluv 2135]

7 hours ago, john1 said:

Mod support for Silent Take Down and some way to record 5-10sec clip and upload to Youtube to make a clip for movie.

 

[kibyde 64]

When you use this mod in the editor on the VR map with soldiers in VR suits it is just like playing "Frozen Synapse" in ArmA. Yea!

[Riksen 183]

This is an amazing addition to the game! Thanks for this Leopard.

 

Question, is there a way to have the camera look straight down as soon as the L key is pressed instead of having it start horizontally and the adjust vertically? For me, it does happen when it is day out and during the second L button press but at night it does not. I'm not sure Im making much sense here lol

[sammael 366]

would be cool to have a special button for vehicles. For example draw path to the heli  pilot while sitting in gunner position....